This application claims the priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-293254, filed Oct. 15, 1999, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein of reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a gate management system that uses a reliable identification, such as biometrics information, of a person who controls the system and a person who is authorized to use the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, many kinds of security systems are being used for identifying users of many devices and facilities. For example, in a security system at a bank, the following is used to prevent use by an unauthorized person. In view of the structural security, a safety-deposit box is placed in a vault, which has a gate. In view of the systematic security, after an identification of a prospective user of the box is checked, the user e.g. bank customer, can enter into the vault through the gate. Conventionally, the check of the identification is performed by using physical keys in the possession respectively of the user, and a bank manager who control the security system. That is, the gate has two key holes. One is for the key of a user, the other for the key of a bank manager. Only when each of the two keys corresponds to the corresponding key hole, can the gate of the vault be opened.
However, in the conventional security system described above, as the security check is performed by using physical keys, it also is possible for someone who is not an authorized user to open the gate if someone has somehow managed to obtain the key. Therefore, an improved security system that permit only an authorized user to pass through the gate is required.
An objective of the invention is to resolve the above-described problem and to provide a gate management system that uses a reliable identification, such as biometrics information, of a person who controls the system and a person who is authorized to use the system to access a gate of a vault.
The objective is achieved by a gate management system for controlling an operation of a gate of a vault including a biometrics information management device having a first memory, storing biometrics information of at least a first and second persons, the first person being required to be accompanied with the second person to pass through the gate and the second person being able to pass the gate alone, a gate management device having a second memory, temporarily storing biometrics information of the first and second person in the second memory, and comparing the temporarily stored information with the information stored in the first memory, a controller controlling an operation of the gate based on a result of the comparison performed by the gate management device.